L06: Atributional Tendencies

There's an old saying that goes "As sure as death and taxes" meaning two things seemingly unavoidable, but I like to add a third almost impossible to dodge event in our lives: Attributional tendencies. 

First, let's go over into what attributions are and their effect on how we interpret the world around us. Attributions, simply put, are inferences that people draw about the cause of events, others’ behavior, and their own behavior. 
This "guessing" of the way things happened in the way they do, or why people react in a specific manner, are categorized as internal or external attributions.
Internal Attributions ascribe the causes of behavior to personal dispositions, traits, abilities, and feelings. ( Ex. "I won because I'm great" or "I lost because I always do")
External Attributions ascribe the causes of behavior to situational demands and environmental constraint. ( Ex."I won because the wind was in my favor" or "I lost because the universe hates me")

There is also the need for some of us to focus on the stability of underlying behavior and attribute it to either success or failure in life. For some of us Stable condition will lead to unchanged outcomes of people or events, and for other the Unstable conditions, will lead them to blame everything, success or failure to uncontrollable factors. 
As a mormon I sometimes feel judging people under a light that suits my views, but is that Christlike? Of course is not. We all have our biases and sometimes we are too soft or harsh to ourselves, independently to our way to judge. 
This knowledge is paramount to judge people, events, and even ourselves, under the appropriate light. It is an important tool in class that can help us understand our students and their views. 
No, no everything is always our fault, and yes sometimes it is, the important thing to remember is that an impartial look at the facts is almost impossible to do, but if we cultivate      a more comprehensive view of the world, we'll come to the conclusion that we all have shortcomings, that failure and success are part of our temporary existence and that we can contribute to our success as well as to other's success too.

L06: Personal Space Differences

                                                                             
There is a great article from The Independent, that talks about the cultural differences in personal space.

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/personal-space-boundaries-different-countries-argentina-uk-romania-a7713051.html

"According to a new study, Brits like to keep a meter from a stranger, 80cm from an acquaintance and just over 50cm from an intimate or close friend. This is in contrast to Argentinians who keep a 76cm distance for a stranger, 59cm for an acquaintance and 40cm for a friend."

The results of the study suggest that cultural differences could result in misconceived rudeness.

We learned on the article Personal Space Ownership, that no because people want you close they are being disrespectful, nor because they don't come as close as you are used to they mean to be rude.

There are many factors, previously discussed, that makes people feel that need for space. The place where they grew up, the way in which they were raised, and even religious reasons make each person grant the rest of the world a physical distance they judge appropriate.

One of the things I learned in this lesson, in particular, is that it is important not to overlook this aspect of the student's lives. They all come with there clearly defined concept of personal space, and that is a real frontier, one that we should never invade for the sake of students progress. Proximity does not mean always a good thing, but knowing the rules that our students have about their personal space me serve us well to show them respect, the respect they had in mind when they set up those boundaries.

L06: Individualism vs. Collectivism

To compare individualism and collectivism seeking to find the best of the two is a bit like comparing apples to oranges.

They are both fruits and they both have a purpose.

While it is true that we engage each individual independently in education, we should also recognize his or her place not only in our classroom but in the community.

Communities that have a  more collectivistic approach to their members, might influence students in a very different way that a more individualistic group might, but this in itself should not be a liability to the individuals on either group. The way in which we interpreted each student is key to use this differences as in advantage rather than a challenge.

We should not embark on this quest by ourselves. Teachers, parents, government and other corners of the community should lend a helping hand in the shaping of not only our young ones but the society in which these young ones will grow as well.

That being said, this manifestations in our student's backgrounds are part of the communities in which we will work, and so we can not separate these circumstances from the educational equation. There is not One-fits-all approach in teaching.

Our expectations, the ones from parents, and other groups must interpret what is the best way to make the community succeed, and how to do so by valuing each member. 

I don't have the "Silver Bullet" that will help solve the desition about how to shape education on this particular matter, but I strongly believe that we should focus on individuals and their progress and that this progress can only mean the betterment of their communities instead of just their own.

L06: Differences in Emotional Expressivity

One of the most price possessions in today's society is the feeling that we, as individuals, belong to a specific group.
Since we are very young, we are told what to do to fit in. Whether it's in school, at a birthday party or in front of a person we like, there are some social paradigms that we need to navigate to enjoy approval. Hence the fabric of what is acceptable and what not in each community.

I have a friend that requires that we all take off our shoes before entering his house, and he is not Asian. If you ever visit Argentina you'll see that a handshake is never enough while greeting somebody at a social gathering. They would very likely kiss you, man or woman, in the cheek. This, as confusing as may look to you, is nothing but a sign of good manners is South-America.

Each culture has its differences and if we are to make any progress as the human race, we should try to respect and seek to understand this differences.

The more we know about somebody's culture and set of values the more chances we have to connect and understand each other. We might even benefit from this encounters.

Think about Mexican food. I assume that many people are aware of how delicious it is, but for people that never try that the sole idea of partaking of something foreign might make them squeamish to say the list. Only those open-minded will seek the opportunity to expand their culinary horizons in the search for understanding.

People, much like food, comes in many cultural flavors, sometimes even individuals from the same family carry with them distinctive ideas of what is acceptable and what isn't, but this is not random it is all part of our Heavenly Father's plan to help us love each other just how we are and learn that after all, there is more than just one flavor.

Cultural Paradigms.

For a long time I worked in construction, and one o the most stressing jobs in it is remodeling. People want part of their houses to be new, without changing much, they would say things like "I want my house to feels the same but not be the same". How do change something without making some concessions to introduce the new ideas?

We have heard time and again that we are all different, and much of what we are comes from the way we were raised and the place we were raised, so whenever we try to assimilate a new idea we must face the possibility of making some concessions in our views in order to accomplish change.

I never cared much for ketchup, in fact in my culture is a topping seldom use in everyday meals, but on my first trip to the United States, one of my friends took me straight from the airport to Arby's.

He bought what I thought was the biggest serving of potato fries I've ever seen, and before I could do anything, he literally bathed them on ketchup and told me "Enjoy!"

He didn't know I didn't like that flavor but he was assuming that because in his culture most people do, I would like it too. In a split of a second, I tried to think about what to say not partake of the feast laid out in front of me without offending him, but I couldn't so I ate a few chips with my eyes as open as I could, and to my surprise they were good. 

You see, I was unfamiliar with the idea and because of it I just dismissed ketchup as a food-related item.

In education, much like with new food, if the source is reliable you should at least be open to receive it and test its potential to add value to your life. 

When we talk about paradigms we usually say it like it is something restrictive in education, but it might be an asset in some cases. 

I'm LDS and so is my family. A  few years ago my daughter was in school and her teacher shared with all her students the "good news" that same-sex marriages were now legal in Argentina. My daughter raised her hand and said "yeap, but is not legal to god" and they all laughed at her.  

Her paradigms were such that this new idea was rapidly blocked in her young brain because one of her paradigms was her faith. To the teacher she was wrong, to me she was brave. 

So, every time we try to learn something new we must decide what to do with what we know already. whether is ketchup or a radical idea, what we know already will determine the values we grant to the new things we are exposed to, and if we want to add these novel concepts to our lives.